Most of us suffer from back pain at some point in our lives. Researchers estimate that nearly 1 out of 3 adults deal with some kind of regular spinal pain. Dr. Erin Anderson and our talented staff see many back and neck pain cases in our Minneapolis office, and we've found that chiropractic care is a highly effective way to not only help you heal from back pain, it's also an excellent way to protect against future episodes.

A recent paper from the University of Utah verifies what our Minneapolis patients have experienced: your Minneapolis chiropractor is the best first option for an episode of back pain.

In this study, 747 patients were treated for low back pain. Each patient was evaluated based on the first person they sought treatment with, whether it was a primary care physician, a chiropractor, a physiatrist (also known as a rehabilitation physician), or a physical therapist.

What the authors discovered is that the subjects who first saw a chiropractor had fewer advanced imaging tests and fewer surgical procedures.

Other studies have found the same results. A 2012 study found that chiropractic patients had the best functional recovery and pain relief for chronic back pain.

Chiropractic works by restoring the natural, pain-free function of your spine. Dr. Erin Anderson and our team help your body heal with gentle chiropractic adjustments that don't use drugs or risky surgical procedures.

If you live near our Minneapolis office and would like to get out of pain, give our office a call today at (612) 354-2231 for an appointment.

Reference

Fritz JM, Kim J, Dorius J. Importance of the type of provider seen to begin health care for a new episode of low back pain: associations with future utilization and costs. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 2015(Sep 29).

Cecchi F, et al. Predictors of functional outcome in patients with chronic low back pain undergoing back school, individual physiotherapy or spinal manipulation. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2012;48:371-8.

Headache and neck pain are common problems that affect millions of people around the world. If you are suffering from this type of problem, you're not alone. The good news is that chiropractic is an excellent way to not only treat these common problems, but also help avoid future episodes.

Dr. Erin Anderson and the staff at #Clinic# have many years of experience helping patients in Minneapolis deal with neck and headache pain with chiropractic care. Our success is supported by a recent review done in Canada that found that non-invasive, non-drug treatments are the best choice for neck and headache pain.

The review looked at 15 studies from 1990 to 2015 and found that conservative treatment comprised of chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and stretches was advisable before turning to drugs or more invasive procedures.

Previous scientific studies have shown that chiropractic is effective and safe for neck pain and many other health conditions.

If you're struggling with neck pain or headache, Dr. Erin Anderson and our staff are here to help you heal. Give our Minneapolis office a call today at (612) 354-2231 for appointment today.

Reference

Varatharajan S, Ferguson B, Chrobak K, et al. Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal 2016; February 6:1-29.

We treat a good number of men and women with back pain in our Minneapolis office, and Dr. Erin Anderson finds that many cases of back pain originate in the sacroiliac (SI) joint. Investigation shows that around 25% of all back pain starts out in the SI joint, and now new research confirms what we have noticed in our office: chiropractic is an effective approach to treating this problem.

In the study released in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, thirty-two women with sacroiliac joint dysfunction were split into two groups and asked to engage in one of two treatment therapies. one group went through a chiropractic adjustment only at the sacroiliac joint, and the alternate group received an adjustment to the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine.

Scientists observed greater improvements in both pain and movement immediately after treatment, two days post-treatment, and 30 days after for the group who had been given high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation to both the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine. This demonstrates that chiropractic treatment applied to these two areas offers both prompt and continuing results for sacroiliac joint pain sufferers—even after just one treatment round.

Therefore, if you are dealing with sacroiliac joint pain, or live with back and leg pain and would like to know if your sacroiliac joint is the source, a consultation at our Minneapolis office may be the first—and best—step towards recovery. Give our office a call today at (612) 354-2231.

Kamali F, Shokri E. The effect of two manipulative therapy techniques and their outcome in patients with sacroiliac joint syndrome. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2012;16(1):29-35.

We see a large number of patients in our Minneapolis clinic, and Dr. Erin Anderson has helped many people eliminate a wide array of health challenges. However, one worry that seems to prevent many men and women from getting care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults. Each participant was suffering from spinal pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the other half were given two sham chiropractic treatments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unpleasant reactions were caused by the actual chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors reported that none of the patients documented any significant unfavorable side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they had a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

The second article(2), also released in the distinguished medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total side effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some people did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this prompted the authors to determine that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Is Safe for Your Children

The third study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, researchers analyzed results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the kids, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse effects. When parents were surveyed, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Additionally, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Minneapolis clinic and schedule an appointment today at (612) 354-2231.

References

1. Walker BF, Hebert JJ, Stomski NJ, Clarke BR, Bowden RS, Losco B, French SD. Outcomes of usual chiropractic. The OUCH randomized controlled trial of adverse events. Spine 2013;38(20):1723-9.
2. Thiel HW1, Bolton JE, Docherty S, Portlock JC. Safety of chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine: a prospective national survey. Spine 2007;32(21):2375-8.
3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore NY 2009;5(5): 290-5.

In our Minneapolis office, we see a large number of patients who are dealing with back pain, and some of these people have been advised they might need surgery to recover. Thankfully, Dr. Erin Anderson has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of surgical treatment. The science agrees with the results we see in our practice. One study published in the medical journal Spine found that seeing a chiropractor as your first step in dealing with your back pain may literally keep you off of the operating table.

In this study, medical researchers from Dartmouth reviewed data from 1,885 workers from Washington state who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractor for their back-related issues. They then examined three years' worth of follow-up medical information to ascertain whether the subjects ended up having back surgery in an attempt to correct the issue.

What the researchers observed was that about 43% of the individuals who first saw a surgeon for their back problems ended up with surgery in that 3-year time frame, whereas only 1.5 percent of those who first consulted with a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are remarkable outcomes. Visiting a chiropractor significantly reduces your odds of getting back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this scientific study "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also keep in mind this important detail: this study was performed by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and printed in the world's most prestigious medical journal on spinal injury.

Why You Should Avoid Surgery

Any surgery has risks, but a serious problem associated with spine surgery is that there is a very high failure rate. In an important review in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The authors of this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Erin Anderson is convinced that surgery should be the absolute last resort for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without high-risk surgery or drugs--and many scientific studies have demonstrated the efficacy of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Minneapolis and you need relief for your back pain, give our office a call today at (612) 354-2231 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

Approximately 2.3 million people are hurt each year in motor vehicle collisions in the U.S. While most people are able to recover from their injuries relatively easily, many are left to deal with chronic pain and impairment. We see many of these patients here at #Clinic# in Minneapolis. Thankfully, Dr. Erin Anderson is here to help you recover from your auto injury.

The science confirms what we see at #Clinic#: A British study was conducted on 28 men and women diagnosed with chronic whiplash pain. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments and 93 percent of them experienced improvements following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic care is a great way to avoid chronic pain after an auto injury.

It's important to note that studies have also found that delaying treatment after a car crash can adversely affect healing time, so getting in to see Dr. Erin Anderson immediately is key to having a quicker recovery.

Dr. Erin Anderson has worked with many auto injury sufferers, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Minneapolis office today for more information or an appointment.

Sources

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

While many women automatically assume that back pain and pregnancy go hand in hand, they are often pleasantly surprised when they discover that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, chiropractic adjustments can often help alleviate back pain for pregnant women by as much as 85 percent.

Dr. Erin Anderson has helped many pregnant women with back pain in our Minneapolis office.

One piece of research published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies involved 115 women who were pregnant (most of which were in their third trimester) and reported pain in their lower back region, pelvic area, or both. Data was gathered prior to the study, as well as one week, one month, three months, and one year after treatment commenced. At each follow-up, the participants were asked to rate their level of pain based on a 7-point scale to determine whether it was better, worse, or stayed the same. The results?

52% reported that their pain was better after one week of chiropractic treatment. After one month, that amount jumped up to 70 percent, climbing even more to 85 percent showing improvement at the three month mark. Improvement was still reported at six months post-treatment, which was generally after delivery, and continued to the final data collection one year after treatment commenced.

There are also many additional benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Not only does it efficiently relieve back pain, but it does it in a completely natural and non-invasive way. This means that you don't have to worry about taking any medications or undergoing any type of treatment that could potentially harm your unborn child.

Furthermore, it makes your time spent carrying your child more pleasant. When you're not sidetracked with pain, you can enjoy the experience even more as you prepare your home and your life for all of the fun and exciting changes that lie ahead.

You don't have to suffer from back pain during pregnancy. We're here in Minneapolis to help with natural chiropractic care. Give us a call today at (612) 354-2231 to make an appointment.

Peterson CK, Muhlemann D, & Humphreys BK. Outcomes of pregnant patients with low back pain undergoing chiropractic treatment: a prospective cohort study with short term, medium term and 1 year follow-up. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2014;22(15):doi:10.1186/2045-709X-22-15.

In our Minneapolis practice, it's common for us to see people troubled with sciatica pain, and Dr. Erin Anderson has helped many of them heal with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic so beneficial to those who suffer with this condition? For starters, it reduces their healing time and a Norwegian medical study confirms it.

In the article, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who had abrupt low back pain that was clinically diagnosed as acute sciatica. The individuals were all treated by a chiropractor, with the mean follow-up being two years after treatment.

The researchers found that all but two patients returned to their jobs after receiving chiropractic treatment, which is a 95% success rate. Furthermore, the average period of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Considering that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over 170,000 workdays were lost in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is nearly 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only would that increase productivity, but it might also decrease costs to businesses and workers from lost work.

If you live in Minneapolis and you suffer with sciatic pain, Dr. Erin Anderson is here to help. Give us a call at (612) 354-2231 and we'll work with you to find the source of your sciatica and get you back on the road to health.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

We see quite a few people with back pain in our Minneapolis office, and Dr. Erin Anderson has helped a lot of them find relief with chiropractic. However, dealing with back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical care, as many individuals use both types of care with great success.

Study Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Care Work Well with One Another

In a study published by the journal Spine investigators¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and restricted function due to back symptoms. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder were given chiropractic adjustments along with standard medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which patients fared better.

The authors determined that the patients who got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the group that received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.

Therefore, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Wins

Although it might seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one major advantage that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study conducted at UCLA² that was published in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.

According to the experts, the main factors that patients favored over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors frequently spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as outlining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic.

Chiropractic Offers a Non-Invasive Approach

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical care, but a great deal of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and well-being. Instead of focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means finding the root cause of your pain, which often means greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

Furthermore, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment like chiropractic. This means fewer negative responses to prescriptions and longer-lasting results.

You don't have to endure back pain or other health issues. Give our Minneapolis office a call today at (612) 354-2231. We'll do our best to help you get and remain free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.